Man who murdered uncle spoke of desire to kill him days before attack
The nephew of murdered Maffra jeweller Steve Curtis contemplated killing him in the days leading up to his death, the Victorian Supreme Court hears.
Jethro Curtis, a man from Maffra, pleaded guilty to murdering his uncle, Stephen Curtis, in the days leading up to the attack, according to court documents. The 45-year-old beat and strangled his 63-year-old uncle before stealing $5,500 from his bank account and fleeing in the victim's car. Jethro had expressed his desire to kill his uncle in text messages to a former partner of the victim in the weeks prior to the crime.
The court heard that Jethro believed his uncle may have sexually assaulted him and others. After the murder, Jethro dumped the body in an underground car park and handed the taxi driver $250, admitting to killing someone before going to jail. Jethro was sentenced to 24 years in prison with a non-parole period of 17 years, with the judge stating that while the allegations of sexual assault were not proven, they appeared plausible to a psychologist.
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